Entrepreneurs seeking funding to start up tourism-related ventures can now make online submissions to the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

The authority is offering hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to people looking to enter the industry, and according to a spokesman the application process “is now fully digital and more streamlined than ever before”.

“The latest round of public submissions for Tourism Experiences began on September 5 and for the first time 100 percent of the application is completed online,” the BTA’s Stakeholder Relations Advisor Glenn Jones said.

Additionally, the process for 2015 Tourism Experiences investment has been streamlined into three application categories — sports, arts and culture, and new experiences.

This year the BTA is investing about $930,000 in home-grown ideas for Tourism Experiences and in 2015 that figure is expected to exceed $1 million. Some submissions could secure as much as $75,000 each.

A tourism experience is defined as a journey visitors embark on that connects them to Bermuda and creates unforgettable memories, which encourage them to return. The purpose of Tourism Experiences Investment is to support home-grown ideas that enhance the overall tourism product, attracts visitors to the Island and gives them something to do while on our shores.

BTA Assistant Product Development Manager Rasheeda Burgess said: “Not only is the online submission process more user friendly, but it also helps us analyse and evaluate the applications more efficiently to ensure we have a diverse collection of experiences for our visitors that cover all parts of the year.

“We know from the digital application process there are a sizeable number of applications partially completed. We want to remind those applicants, and anyone else looking to apply, there are only a few weeks left to complete the process.”

The deadline for submissions for Tourism Experiences scheduled to take place in 2015 is October 17, and a list of successful applicants will be made public next month.